- I am reading “Dear Founder“, a great collection of letters for founders by Maynard Webb, a famous investor and board member who spent years working with the best companies and founders in Silicon Valley. I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of years ago at Vertex Ventures.
- A friend of mine just posted this on Facebook. There is no better way to express it. I copied it here.
- A few weeks ago a young entrepreneur asked me “Who should I hire in my company in the early days?“
People with “founder mentality” can’t rest once a problem or opportunity is identified.
They take on personal responsibility without complaint, learn and recruit skills as needed, and deliver results despite politics.
There is unlimited global demand for founder mentality.
— Naval (@naval) September 14, 2018
All of them are connected to one crucial thing I learned the hard way.
The importance of people with founder mentality. Someone that will own everything you throw at them, with no complaints, with a strong sense of urgency and that will simply don’t stop until it makes that happen. Sounds like a unicorn, but these people exist.
I know that because I have been lucky enough to work with some of them in my life. They make all the difference in the world and you cannot ignore that when you see them in action. These people don’t have to be entrepreneurs or founders, (they probably could if they wanted to) but you can find them everywhere, in small and big organizations. You absolutely need them in the early days, you can’t build something great without them, but the reality is that you will need them later in your journey as well.
Building a culture that attracts these people and let them become new leaders is the ultimate goal (and proof of a great company) of an entrepreneur. I honestly feel I still have a lot to learn (and to do) here.
This post is for these people. Thank you.